The Shahal M. Khan Cyber and Economic Security Institute (Khan Institute) at American University, global cybersecurity leader CrowdStrike, and Wiley Rein, a DC-based law firm have launched a new online platform to help current and future public policy leaders understand the fundamentals of key cybersecurity policy topics. “Start Here: Cyber Fundamentals for Policymakers” is designed to help cybersecurity and privacy professionals, government officials, and students get up-to-speed on the fundamental context, players, history and issues underlying the key cyber public policy issues of the day.

“We know broadly accessible educational resources on complex cybersecurity policy topics are severely limited, and are thrilled to partner with industry leaders, CrowdStrike and Wiley Rein, to close the gap,” said Prof. Diana Burley, Khan Institute Director and AU Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.

The new platform includes a 12-part podcast series as well as additional online resources. Each episode employs a user-friendly storytelling format and focuses on a specific issue, including incident reporting, ransomware and other extortion schemes, and data localization. 

“Our podcast series highlights core questions and tradeoffs that should be considered by agencies and Congress as they consider various cyber solutions. We want to address issues that may not get full consideration as new rules develop for different industries. Things like cost benefit analyses, unintended consequences, and rules’ practical effects. Major changes are happening, so it is important that policymakers and advocates consider all angles,” said Megan Brown co-chair of Wiley’s Privacy, Cyber & Data Governance Practice.

“As adversaries move faster to attempt disruptive and destructive attacks across the globe, the cyber policy landscape is rapidly changing to keep pace. Yet, defining the right policy problems to solve remains a challenge. Together, we noticed a critical gap in baseline educational resources about the different factors and consequences at play in developing cyber policy discussions,” said Drew Bagley, CrowdStrike’s VP & Counsel, Privacy and Cyber Policy. “This podcast is a chance for a variety of interested audiences to easily get up-to-speed on the policy implications driving the conversation today, and CrowdStrike’s unique perspective will help close the gap for our listeners.”

“Start Here” was launched under the umbrella of the Khan Institute as part of its commitment providing unique educational and experiential learning opportunities, to offer holistic perspective to cybersecurity, and to accelerate the development of a highly-trained cybersecurity workforce and streamline the relationship between technical and human factors.